Open Forum: Did Obama Learn From Clinton's Mistakes?

When former president Bill Clinton came into office, he was considered a saint for the gay community. He was the first president to mention gays and lesbians in his inauguration and he promised to allow gays in the military. The LGBT community saw his election as a major shift to come in government policy towards sexual minorities.

What happened was far less than we would have expected, and the administration now gets looked back on as the era when gays were thrown under the bus. His promise of letting gays join the military was met with controversy and as a result he instituted the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. During that time period Hawaii was seen as the first state to likely legalize gay marriage. As a result under Clinton's watch the Defense of Marriage Act was passed, which barred federal recognition of same-sex marriage, and ensured that states did not have to accept other states marriage laws.

President Barack Obama has now come into office with what is seen as the most progressive list of issues relating to the LGBT community. His campaign promises include everything short of marriage equality. The LGBT community is angered that Obama has done little to nothing thus far to meet these campaign promises. Is Obama just another politician with empty promises, or did he learn from Clinton's mistake of acting too hastily, and wants to ensure that when he acts it will go through succesfully?